Rerun
by nearly a maniac
Summary: After her quest, Sarah plans to start over with her family. But, time has other plans… Stuck in a magical time-loop rerunning the maze, Sarah must end the cycle somehow. With no way of knowing how to stop it, she is going to need all the help she can get. Too bad it seems only she can remember the previous day. She's determined to break free and maybe have some fun along the way.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to "The Labyrinth" or "Groundhog Day", their respective characters, original plots, or dialogues. Those still belong to the Jim Henson Co., Lucasfilm Ltd., Walt Disney, and Columbia Pictures. This is for entertainment purposes only; no money is being made, nor will any be sought.

Summary:

A "Groundhog Day" inspired "Labyrinth" fic.

After her adventure in the Labyrinth, Sarah is planning to change her life for the better and start fresh with her family. Unfortunately, time has other plans … Stuck in a magical time-loop, Sarah is forced to rerun the Labyrinth over and over again. With no way of knowing how to stop it, Sarah is going to need all the help she can get, too bad it seems only she can remember the previous day. Sarah must fight to end the cycle somehow, but there's nothing wrong with having a little fun along the way … is there?

 **Rerun**

Chapter One

' _I should have seen this coming,'_ Sarah thought as she twirled around, wildly kicking out at any stray goblin that got too close. She didn't fully understand what was going on, but she would not allow them to take her brother from her again.

Clutching Toby to her chest, she tried to soothe the distraught toddler as best she could given the circumstances. She knew it was a lost cause, her own hysterical fear partnered with the raging storm and the creepy looking goblins ensured that.

The disturbing giggles and rustling noises grew louder as the storm beat more intensely against the balcony doors in her parent's room. The doors she knew, for a fact, would soon blow open and end any hope she had of protecting Toby.

"You can't take him!" she yelled as they scampered around, "I didn't say the words! I didn't say the words!"

The goblins paid her no heed as they continued to mock and jeer her from the shadows. Behind her a small goblin began climbing its way up her legs, determined to reach the boy.

"Ahhhh!" she screamed at the odd, prickling feeling of its blunt claws scratching her through her jeans. Able to twist and bat the ugly goblin away, Sarah held onto Toby tighter as she turned and booted it out into the hallway. It thumped comically against the wall, stood dizzily, and then shook it off, cackling manically all the while.

Sarah sneered at the nasty, brown dirt stain it left where it hit the wall, hoping it didn't leave any of that grime on her. _'This day has been so messed up,'_ she complained, upset with how her first day as a "better person" had gone.

The entire day had been beyond bizarre. Sarah wasn't sure what to call it, but simply calling it déjà vu was too mild for what she'd been experiencing. Her rational side had been working hard all day coming up with excuses for all the unnerving coincidences.

Reasons for why her parents kept having, word for word, all the same conversations from yesterday or why it seemed that everyone but her insisted it was Saturday.

Doing her best to go through the motions, Sarah tried all day to convince herself that she must have mixed up the days in her head. Yesterday must have been Friday, not Saturday. There could be no other rational explanation…

Sarah's denial continued until just after dinner when her parents, donning the same outfits as last evening, left her standing distraught on the porch holding a wailing Toby. Watching them pull away as the skies opened up at precisely seven o'clock left Sarah feeling nauseously hollow.

Not long after, the electricity had predictably gone out.

She should have known there would be no rational explanations, there couldn't be, because it was magic. Sarah was upset with herself for spending so much of her time ignoring her gut feelings and pretending that the day wasn't repeating itself.

And now Toby would be the one to pay. She'd been so stupid to believe her confrontation with the Goblin King was over just because she'd said a few choice words.

Just as the goblin's heckling and the storm reached its crescendo, the doors to the balcony blew open in a maelstrom of wind, rain, and glitter. Turning her back to the door and hunching over, she shielded her younger brother from the owl that flew in to terrify them. Sarah watched the floor in growing horror as a shadow elongating from the open doorway until it had stretched into the form of a man.

Once the wind died down and silence filled the room, Sarah straightened her back and locked eyes with her adversary. He was just as frightening as last time.

Scowling, Sarah turned to face him. "What are you doing here, Goblin King? You can't take my brother!"

"I can't?" The look he gave her made her feel even more childish than last time.

Only then, did she realize what the silence truly meant. Sarah looked down into her empty arms and gasped, not even sure when Toby had been magically taken from her arms. "No! Give him back!" she pleaded, eyes misting over in anger, "I want my brother back, _right_ _now_!"

Jareth raised a wild brow at her impertinence and appraised her slowly with his eyes. His lingering, brazen stare caused Sarah to blush and cross her arms self-consciously. With a shrug, he dismissed her and shrewdly began perusing the room. "What's said is said."

"But I didn't _say_ anything!"

"Oh, you didn't?" he drawled.

"No, I didn't," Sarah insisted, "so give him back!"

He stopped pacing around the room long enough to level her with an incredulous stare. Struggling to meet his gaze, she stared right back, putting as much conviction as possible into her own eyes.

After a long moment, his eyes narrowed and his lips thinned. Slowly, he stalked closer until he was just a hair's breadth away from touching her. Sarah tried not to shake as he towering over her. "You might think you are a very convincing," he whispered intimately, "but your lies won't work on me. You said the words or I wouldn't be here."

"I did say them," she said, not backing down, "just not today!"

His brow arched higher at the absurdity of her argument and tilted his head, waiting for her to continue.

"What I mean is," she stuttered, suddenly feeling warm despite the cool breeze coming in from outside, "it was today, just … yesterday's today. This already happened."

The Goblin King stared blankly down at her before he smiled arrogantly. "Oh, I see how it is," he said, stepping away to circle her. "It's been a while since someone like you has been in the Labyrinth. It can be a … crazy place. You'll feel right at home."

Sarah huffed at his condescending tone. Placing her hands on her hips, she scowled up at him. "And just _what_ is that supposed to mean?"

Flippantly, he waved her off. "I've brought you a gift," he said, skillfully twisting his hand to magically summon a crystal. Hypnotically, he rolled the orb within his hand as he continued to prowl around her.

"I don't want it," Sarah said, not even bothering to look at it. The young woman focused instead on keeping the tricky man in her sights.

"Not even if it will show you your dreams?"

"Still not interested, Goblin King, just give me back my brother."

"Sarah," he said patronizingly, "forget about the baby."

She narrowed her eyes at him. Being sure to emphasize and slowly enunciate each word clearly, she said firmly, "I want my brother back." His answering sneer gave Sarah the distinct feeling that she might have pushed him too far with that last bit.

"Sarah…" he warned, "Don't defy me." With an agile flick of his wrist, the crystal left his hand and in mid-air transformed into a snake.

Frantically reaching up to cover her face, Sarah screeched and pranced as the snake landed across her head and shoulders. Grabbing it firmly, she threw it to the ground and stomped on it until, like the day before, it transformed into a non-threatening scarf.

Eyes burning with rage, Sarah jerked her head up to glare daggers at the Goblin King. "Stop throwing that snake at me!"

"You're no match for me," Jareth said smugly.

She felt her pulse race faster as she clenched her hands into fists. "That's what you said last time," she challenged insolently.

Jareth pretended to shrug indifferently, but the twinkle in his eyes spoke of amusement. Sarah was shocked to see he was enjoying their banter.

"If you want him," he gestured past the white, billowing curtains to the Underground realm that now waited outside. "He's there, in my castle."

As before, Sarah stepped past him to gawk at the vastness of the Labyrinth, amazed that she had succeeded in making it through something so colossal the first time around. A small seed of doubt was starting to grow. What if she couldn't make it this time? What would happen to Toby?

Sarah shied away as the Goblin King invaded her space from behind, trying not to shiver at the feeling of his breath on the shell of her ear. "Do you still want to look for him?"

Not trusting her voice to speak, the young woman just nodded. She couldn't see his face, but she could practically feel his narcissism fill the air around her.

"I shouldn't have to," she argued weakly, knowing it would do no good. "You had no right to take him."

"Turn back, Sarah," he pleaded softly into her ear. It was said almost tenderly, as if he were truly concerned about her. "Turn back before it's too late." It was voiced so differently from the way he said it yesterday, it gave her the strong impression that he wasn't talking about facing the Labyrinth.

Continuing to stare straight ahead, she breathed, "I can't."

The strange, intimate moment ended without warning as Jareth pulled away to walk briskly past her. "What a pity," he said, reverting back to his customary arrogant tone.

Following his lead, Sarah stepped through her parent's French doors and into the Underground. Pretending she didn't find the task before her daunting, she scoffed. "It doesn't look _that_ far."

"It's further than you think. Time is short."

Strutting toward a deadened tree stump, Jareth willed a gnarled clock to appear. Magically spinning the hands until they pointed up, the Goblin King turned to gaze sternly at Sarah, all manner of playful banter gone.

"You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before your baby brother becomes one of us, forever." Promptly, he faded from view until only his voice remained. "Such a pity…"

* * *

"Hogwash."

The dwarf growled fiercely and twirled to face his unexpected companion. "It's Hoggle!" he hollered before recognizing the lithe figure he was yelling at. "Augh! Yer Majesty! I's was just…"

"Quiet," Jareth commanded sternly. Looking down in fear, Hoggle bobbed his head meekly as the Goblin King began erratically pacing in front of him. Eager to end this conversation, Jareth immediately got straight to the point. "A runner will be at the gate shortly, a girl by the name of Sarah. Do not let her out of your sights, but don't interfere with her run."

Hoggle puzzled over the unusual request. "So, I's don't have to trick her 'n lead 'er back to the beginning?"

"Not this time."

"Oh," he said simply. He eyed the Goblin King suspiciously; something was clearly bothering the glittery git. "But why's I gotta watch the little lady?"

"She says she went through the Labyrinth yesterday and won," Jareth said, pausing to stare towards the Northern Gates where Sarah would soon be arriving. The dwarf scoffed, a runner had yet to finish the Labyrinth. "And she wasn't lying."

Hoggle's eyes widened. "But how's that possible?"

The Goblin King remained silent and kept his gaze on the horizon. "I need you to watch for anything… unusual," Jareth said. "This could mean trouble if it is what I suspect."

"What kind o' trouble?" the dwarf asked warily.

"Nothing that will affect you, if that's what you're worried about," Jareth snipped, fully aware of the dwarf's cowardice.

Hoggle nodded his head even though he didn't fully understand, sometimes it was better not to know.

"Hobble?"

Hoggle looked up at Jareth hesitantly. "Yes?"

"Why are you still here?"

Those five words sent Hoggle into immediate motion. "I's was jus' on my way there now," he stuttered, tripping over his own feet in his hurry, "to… uh, keep track of that girlie fer you."

His little legs carried him quickly out of sight, leaving Jareth blissfully alone. The Goblin King knew he would have to return to the castle soon to care for the baby, but for now he would enjoy the silence.

Allowing the weariness he'd been struggling to hide bleed through into his posture, Jareth wearily closed his eyes. "This is it, the beginning of the end," he said. "Oh Sarah, how you exhaust me…"

* * *

"Such a pity…" echoed around her as the Goblin King faded from sight. Looking at the Labyrinth before her, Sarah visibly wilted at the thought of completing the task for the second time.

The selfish, spoiled teenager persona she was still trying to shed was rallying to throw an epic tantrum, the likes of which not even her parents had seen. Even the calmer, semi- reasonable side of Sarah was inwardly protesting the unfairness of the situation. Her talk with the Goblin King had not gone as she'd expected. Their conversation had surprisingly stayed true to the script she remembered from yesterday, for the most part; the bits that changed were the ones she changed or influenced herself.

' _I thought for sure, he was responsible for today repeating itself…'_ But, the way he had acted said otherwise. ' _So, if Jareth didn't cause this, what did?'_ Sarah was scared to find out. It had to be something magically strong enough to turn back time _and_ wipe the Goblin King's memory.

"Best to think about that later," Sarah said as she descended the steep hill towards the gates of the Labyrinth. "Toby needs me."

This was a mystery that she didn't have time to stand around and ponder; she'd have to solve it on the go. Hoping that she'd find Hoggle again along the perimeter's wall, Sarah walked quickly and fervently prayed that her friend could tell her what was going on.

* * *

Author Note:

So, here's chapter 1. Mostly it's just a rehash of what happened in the movie, but it needed to be done to lay the groundwork for this story. Next time, what will be different and what will be the same as Sarah repeats her time in the Labyrinth?

Comments/suggestions or critiques welcome.

Thanks for reading!

nearly a maniac


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to "The Labyrinth" or "Groundhog Day", their respective characters, original plots, or dialogues. Those still belong to the Jim Henson Co., Lucasfilm Ltd., Walt Disney, and Columbia Pictures. This is for entertainment purposes only; no money is being made, nor will any be sought.

Rerun

Chapter Two

Once he was certain he had put enough distance between himself and Jareth, Hoggle slowed his pace to almost a crawl. He did not want to get anywhere near this girl.

"Solve the Labyrinth, did ya?" he scoffed, petulantly kicking any small rocks he came across. "I's don't believe it fer a second!" That rat had complete control over the maze; nobody was going to win unless Jareth _let_ them win. And the Goblin King was too proud for that to ever happen.

But then why was Jareth acting so strange?

Hoggle slowed even further. Either Sarah was an amazing pathological liar, good enough to fool Jareth or this "girl" had been able to magically manipulate the Goblin King…

The dwarf stopped dead in his tracks, another wave of dread flooding him. Both options were unsettling. He'd be spending the day spying on a girl that could be an insane sociopath, but most likely was an extremely powerful sorceress who had, inexplicably, set her sights on the Labyrinth.

Jareth's vague instructions rang through his head: Watch for anything unusual.

Cursing his bad luck, Hoggle reluctantly resumed walking towards his post at the Northern Gate. If her appearance in the Labyrinth indeed spelled trouble for them, then Hoggle had just earned himself a front row seat.

Nervously peeking around the edge of one of the many inlets around the outer wall, Hoggle's heart practically choked him when it leapt straight into his throat. He knew the girl would be there, searching for a way into the Labyrinth, but Hoggle was not prepared for the overwhelming resurgence of panic he felt when he saw her for the first time.

If he was going by Underground standards, they were all doomed.

She looked no more than sixteen years old with childishly long hair and dark, wide eyes; the perfect picture of innocence.

By Hoggle's rule of thumb, the less threatening something appeared to be, the more dangerous it actually was.

He began to shake. They didn't stand a chance.

* * *

"Leave me alone," Sarah scolded the little creature that was eyeing her.

The tiny fairy flitted gracefully in front of her, smiling innocently and chattering in melodic, tinkling notes. Sarah just narrowed her eyes at the deceptive female as it flew closer and closer. When it was near enough to land on her shoulder, the young woman reached up to flick the annoying fairy away.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…"

Biting back a laugh at the fairy's tiny scream, Sarah fought to keep a scowl on her face. "I'm not buying it this time," she said harshly. "Bite me once, shame on you. Bite me twice…"

Finger still pointed towards the fairy in reprimand, Sarah trailed off; this was a waste of time. She wasn't even sure the fairy could understand her.

"I don't have time for this," she muttered, crossing her arms in frustration. It hadn't taken this long last time to find Hoggle. Huffing and turning around in place, Sarah once again scanned the area for her friend. "Where is that dwarf?"

"Hoggle! Hooogggllleeeeee! I need you!"

* * *

For what seemed like the millionth time in his miserable life, Hoggle cursed his cowardice. Sometimes it felt like he just couldn't control it, like now.

Watching the girl flick the fairy away, without suffering any magical backlash, confirmed Hoggle's fears that she must be a powerful sorceress.

After all, that was the reason he used the spray can to dispose of the pests, nobody in their right mind wanted physical contact with them. Just one touch from a fairy could cause all sorts of magical maladies that lingered for months, unless you possessed enough magic to protect yourself, of course.

And a fairy bite? The dwarf shivered at the horror stories he'd heard of those unfortunate enough to experience it.

Hoggle was always surprised when others underestimated fairies. Their appearance alone should ensure their reputation; they were small, cute, and frail-looking. In other words, by his standards: deadly.

When Sarah began calling for him, Hoggle nearly wet himself. _'How'd she knows my name!'_ Flattening his back against the outer wall, the dwarf tried his best to not hyperventilate. _'It couldn't have been Jareth,'_ he wildly speculated, _'that rat's never once gotten my name right!'_

" _Hoggle_!"

This time, the girl's pleading calls held a distinct note of exasperation, as if she _knew_ he was close by. Her tone made the dwarf's insides lurch and the tickling urge to urinate intensified. Damning his nervous bladder, Hoggle turned and bolted away, determined to put a fair amount of distance between them before he stopped to relieve himself.

' _Best to takes care of its now,_ ' he rationalized in his panic. There was no telling if this sorceress would be benevolent enough to allow him any pit stops along the way to the castle.

Making quick work of unfastening his drawers, Hoggle stepped into a well-hidden nook along the outer wall and got down to taking care of business.

* * *

Sighing in impatience, Sarah shielded her eyes from the bright morning sun. It had been at least five minutes since she arrived at the tiny pool and had begun to wait for her friend. This is where she had first met Hoggle and Sarah was disappointed that she had not yet seen hide nor hair of the dwarf. Even calling for him hadn't seemed to work.

Now that she, inconveniently, had the opportunity to stand around and really take a good look at her surroundings, Sarah felt a strong twinge of disappointment. In all of her daydreams, she never once pictured the Underground to be quite so … shabby.

Everywhere she looked, Sarah saw depressing signs of decay. Everything outside the Labyrinth's walls looked dead or dying, even the dirt seemed faded somehow. All around, gnarled trees barely stood as they bent and withered into rotting husks. In the small pool beside her, a thick sludge clouded what little water was available and filled the air with a faint, musty sourness.

The imposing outer walls themselves looked as if all color had been leeched out of them, leaving behind only a drab, flat gray. The multitude of broken stones and wide cracks that littered the entire wall spoke of not only erosion, but an alarming deterioration of the foundation itself.

Sarah did not remember so much decay the first time she came through this part of the Labyrinth, or so much glitter. Frowning at her surroundings, she couldn't help but wonder why. ' _What's happening to the Labyrinth?_ ' she thought, certain it wasn't meant to look like this.

Knowing she was just stalling, Sarah finally gave in to the growing realization that this version of today would not play out exactly the same as yesterday. She could take nothing for granted, not even her past experience running the Labyrinth.

Hating to give up on traveling with Hoggle, Sarah reluctantly turned and marched off in the direction she had taken yesterday. Sticking close to the wall, she trailed a hand gently along the stones, watching intently for signs of the hidden doors. After walking at a steady pace for a few minutes, Sarah carefully edged around a fallen branch and unknowingly side-stepped into a hidden alcove, barely halting in time to avoid bowling over a much smaller figure.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in shock, hands raised apologetically in front of her. When Sarah got a good look at what the small man was doing, she hastily turned around. "Excuse me!" she blurted out, mortified to walk in on her friend while he was urinating again.

Though the day had changed slightly, she pondered the coincidence of meeting Hoggle twice during such a private moment. Was she always fated to meet Hoggle this way?

The thought caused a heavy weight to drop to the bottom of her stomach; just how many times would she be repeating today?

Equally as startled as the human girl, the dwarf shuffled around to peevishly right his clothing. "Excuse me," he drawled, obviously less sincere in his apology than Sarah had been.

Turning grumpily to confront whoever had interrupted him, his scathing retorts failed him. "Oh, it's you… " he wheezed, surprised to see the girl so far from where he'd left her.

"Oh, Hoggle," she cried happily, spinning around and dropping to her knees to hug him tightly. "I'm so glad I found you!"

Unused to displays of affection, Hoggle stood frozen in uncertainty, struggling to comprehend the strange situation he currently found himself in. "Hey, wha's the big idea!" the dwarf protested, half-heartedly attempting to shove her away. "Let go!"

The relief Sarah had felt at finding her friend quickly died at his hostile response and was, to her utter horror, replaced with uncontrollable tears. She knew it had been silly to think Hoggle would remember her, but for the last hour she had clung to that lingering hope; a hope that she wasn't alone in all of this.

Latching on even tighter, Sarah began sobbing into his coarse, leathery vest.

Huge, ugly, gut-wrenching sobs.

Hoggle's large eyes bulged out even further at the emotional outburst she was forcing upon him. "Gaw!" he cried, flailing his arms wildly. Trapped in her embrace, there was nothing the dwarf could but endure her blubbering.

The two of them spent the next several minutes in this manner, with Hoggle uncomfortably grunting and struggling vainly to escape and Sarah continuing to bawl incoherently into his chest.

* * *

"…m' mmrry…"

"Wha' now?" Hoggle asked gruffly as he turned his head, trying to look down at the irrational female that still clung to him.

During her crying fit, the girl had gone limp against him and was now leaning fully on his small frame for support. It was not comfortable in the least, but he did not want to upset the obviously unbalanced girl again by telling her to get off. He wondered what could have upset her so much that she would cry hysterically on a perfect stranger.

Resting her cheek on his shoulder, Sarah sighed as she turned away from his vest to speak. "I'm sorry," she said simply.

Hoggle grunted, clearly put out by the whole experience. "Not as sorry as I am," he muttered.

She giggled softly at his snippy reply. "Oh, you're horrible!" she said, smiling as she sniffed and rubbed her semi-runny nose.

"No's, I's ain't," he huffed indignantly, "I's Hoggle!"

"You said the same thing yesterday!" she laughed, unable to contain her mirth. Letting go of her friend and sitting back on her haunches, Sarah used the heel of her hands to wipe at a few stray tears.

"Huh?"

His utter confusion sobered her quickly and reminded her of the situation. With a deep frown, Sarah looked up into his weathered face. It was easy to tell that he was wary of her, afraid even. It was enough to almost make her want to cry again.

Disheartened, Sarah bowed her head. Talking with Jareth had gotten her nowhere, she sincerely hoped Hoggle would be easier to convince. The only problem now was that she needed to explain her predicament, but didn't know where to start.

"Well," she said slowly, running a finger mindlessly through the dirt, "we're … we're friends."

He gave her a look that nearly mirrored the one the Goblin King had given her earlier. "Hoggle ain't got no friends. Hoggle …"

"… is Hoggle's friend. Yes, I know," she butted in, smiling at the ground. "But we became friends when you helped me through the Labyrinth yesterday."

"Nobody makes it through the Labyrinth."

"We did."

"Then he's let ya!" Hoggle snapped, shaking his head. "But that don't matter, 'cause it didn't happen. I's woulda remembered somethin' like that!"

"But we really did," she insisted softly. "You're just going to have to trust me on that, then this morning …"

"I's trust Jareth mores than I's trust you…"

Sarah's jaw dropped at his biting tone, the rest of her face gradually morphed into a patented look of teenage outrage. "How can you say that? After everything we've been through…"

"We ain't been through nothin'."

"But Hoggle…"

"You's can say it all you want," he said as he turned to amble out of the alcove, "but I's still thinks you're crazy."

Standing in a huff, she began brushing off all the sand and glittery dirt that had covered her jeans. "Oh, you're hopeless!"

"Argh!" he growled, spinning around to glare at her. "No, I's not! I's Hoggle!"

"Ugh! Fine. Let's just get going" she said, stepping around the dwarf, "I'll convince you on the way."

The dwarf put his hand on his hips and refused to budge. "And who says I'm going anywhere's with you?" Hoggle mocked. Not for a second did he forget that Jareth had basically commanded that he follow this girl all around the Labyrinth, she just didn't need to know that.

"But," she paused, "isn't it your job to let people into the Labyrinth?"

"Maybe it is and maybe it isn't …"

Sarah rolled her eyes at his illusive answer. "So, how about you stay with me until I get inside, then you can decide if you want to come with me or not." Without waiting for a reply, she spun around and resumed walking.

Continuing in her previous direction, Sarah scrutinized the towering wall for signs of the entrance. Yesterday, her first hour trying to get into the Labyrinth had not been as eventful as the rest of her journey. She vaguely remembered finding the doorway soon after meeting Hoggle, but she hadn't seen it until he'd pointed it out to her.

Only … she hadn't met him in the same spot as yesterday and it felt like they'd been walking for much longer. By that reasoning, they should have found it by now.

Sarah stopped walking and cringed. ' _Maybe we've already passed it._ '

"Hoggle, have we passed the doors?

"What doors?"

"The doors to the Labyrinth."

"What of 'em?" he asked nonchalantly.

She furrowed her brows, slowly catching on to what he was doing. "Did we pass them?"

"Pass what?"

"Hoggle! I don't have time for this," she snapped, "I haven't seen the doors into the Labyrinth, have we passed them yet?

"No."

"How can that be?" she said, turning to look down the length of the wall. "We've walked longer than yesterday…"

When the dwarf stayed silent, she mumbled under her breath about his lack of cooperation. "No help whatsoever," she grumbled, "just like yesterday!" But she knew that wasn't true, he was the main reason she had made it to the castle in time. Sure he had been difficult at times, but Hoggle had taught her so many things about the Labyrinth.

' _Wait a minute! That's it!'_ Her eyes widened comically at her epiphany. What was the first lesson Hoggle had taught her?

"Ask the right questions…" she said softly to herself, turning to make eye contact with her friend. "Ok, then how do we get in?" she gestured to the wall. "The door is gone."

"No, it ain't."

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking around. "I don't see it."

"Well, you's not gonna get very far, are ya?" he said snidely, before catching sight of her large pleading eyes. He huffed hotly before caving in and elaborating. "Oh, all right! The first test of the Labyrinth is t' just gets inside, the doors'll appear at the right time."

"Oh," she said flatly. _'So, the Labyrinth wants me to learn to ask the right questions, but to be sure to say them in the right way?'_ She took a deep breath, readying herself to carefully choose her next words.

"Hoggle," she said hesitantly, "can you make the doors appear again?"

"What doors?"

"Hoggle!"

Feigning a look of innocence, Hoggle inwardly smirked; this was his favorite thing about his job. ' _Never fails t' make the runners hot under the collar._ '

Watching as she closed her eyes tightly and held her breath in an attempt to control her temper, Hoggle took the time to reevaluate her. So far this girl had been emotionally unstable, showed that she possessed a fair amount of magic, and was, unquestionably, delusional.

Her story of defeating the Labyrinth yesterday was beyond laughable. And with _his_ help no less!

None of it made any sense, so why was he getting the uncomfortable feeling that her story could be true? It was as if he wanted to believe her even. This must have been why Jareth was so confused: her innocent act was _that_ flawless _._

' _Although, with the Goblin King's connection to the Labyrinth, he would know for sure…_ _Tch, or maybes we're all just goin' crazy.'_

"Ok," Sarah responded after calming down, "I guess I deserved that." Smiling, she remembered her phrasing from yesterday, "Hoggle, how do you get into the Labyrinth?"

"Ah, now that's more like it," he said, before dramatically pointing towards the wall. "You's gets in over there."

* * *

"About time…" the Goblin King sighed, surprised she had not made it inside long before now.

Jareth had begun to grow increasingly bored with her progress as he idly lounged on his throne with young Toby in his lap. "Now the real fun begins," he said, playfully bouncing the restless boy.

"About time," the girl muttered, echoing the Goblin King's sentiments. Her voice resonated strangely from inside the crystal floating before him.

Her similar wording caused the goblins to heckle loudly and Jareth to smirk as they continued to spy on her.

"Thank you, Hoggle," she said sincerely. Nervously, she chewed on her bottom lip. "So, are you coming with me? I could sure use your help."

The dwarf shuffled awkwardly in place, trying to giving Sarah the allusion that he was still debating his decision.

' _As if he actually has a choice,_ ' Jareth sneered, watching the greedy gatekeeper once again haggle for his services. _'Always the same…'_ he sighed, pinching his nose in exasperation.

Quickly losing interest, the Goblin King took his eyes off the floating crystal and frowned to find that the inquisitive toddler had stealthily grabbed a hold of his riding crop and was now intently nibbling on its leather cord. Unhappy that his favorite prop for intimidation was being used as a teething ring, Jareth gently pried it from the boy's grasp and, hoping to remove any slobber that remained, began tapping it forcefully on the soul of his boot.

Tuning back in to the pair entering his Labyrinth, Jareth's eyes narrowed. He had been the Goblin King for a very long time and, during his substantial reign, had begun to grown weary of his role.

' _If you've seen one run, you've seen them all._ '

From his previous time watching this girl, she had surprisingly shown an overabundance of creativity and spunk that intrigued him. This run in particular had the potential to be very entertaining, or like so many that had come before it, crush his spirit with its monotony.

Yet, this time, there was something about Sarah that gave him hope that it would be the former. He scooted forward on his stone seat; he couldn't wait to find out.

* * *

Author Note:

And there's chapter 2, hope it was entertaining. I definitely had a blast writing this.

Not sure why, but I seem to really love writing Hoggle. His part in this chapter was originally much smaller, but he's just so darn disgruntled and snarky, that he took over the entire thing. Luckily, I was able to end with a tiny bit of Jareth-time to hopefully make everyone happy.

Not sure what's next for Sarah as she ventures into the Labyrinth, but I've got several ideas that should definitely be entertaining.

Once again, comments/suggestions or critiques are welcome.

Thanks for reading!

nearly a maniac


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to "The Labyrinth" or "Groundhog Day", their respective characters, original plots, or dialogues. Those still belong to the Jim Henson Co., Lucasfilm Ltd., Walt Disney, and Columbia Pictures. This is for entertainment purposes only; no money is being made, nor will any be sought.

Rerun

Chapter Three

Rubbing her now bare wrist, Sarah leaned forward timidly to get a better look at the deceptively endless passageway. Despite having already gone through it once before, she stayed standing in the mouth of the entrance, hesitant to step inside the Labyrinth. Her hands shook minutely as she eyed the deserted path before her.

"Cozy, ain't it?" Hoggle said, breaking the tense silence. "Bwa-ha-ha-ha!"

Just like yesterday, she was not amused. Although this time, Sarah was more upset for not seeing it coming.

She tried her best not to sneer at her friend, but seeing him fingering his new treasure, made her grumpy all over again. Darn it, she had really loved that charm bracelet! And it wasn't plastic this time, either!

Ignoring her scowl, Hoggle shuffled his way around her. "Now," he said, gesturing grandly to either side of him, "would you go left … or right?"

"Yesterday, I went right," she said, even as she eyed both choices suspiciously, "but I guess either way is still as good as any." With a shrug Sarah stepped into the Labyrinth, turning to take the same route she had chosen before.

"Mm hmmm," Hoggle hummed as he followed her; his disbelieving attitude grating on her nerves.

This trip would be so much more pleasant if she could just get him to believe her, or at the very least, to become her friend again. Sarah sighed, if only she knew how to accomplish either.

After a brisk minute of walking and already tired of the awkward silence between them, Sarah smiled over her shoulder at Hoggle. "You know, if we go this way, we can say hi to the worm!"

He shuffled quickly to stand beside her. "The … the worm?"

Dismissing Hoggle's wavering tone, Sarah continued to talk enthusiastically about her brief encounter with the worm. "Yeah! The little guy helped me yesterday get into the rest of the maze. Taught me that not everything is as it seems in the Labyrinth."

"Little guy…?" he stuttered indignantly.

Sarah's smile grew even bigger. "Uh huh, and he was a lot more helpful than some others I've met in here," she teased, lightly nudging him in the arm. "Maybe this time, I can even meet the missus!"

The sound of thudding footsteps thundered through the passageway, startling Sarah out of her pleasant reminiscing. Turning to face whatever was charging their way, she was beyond shocked to see her friend's frantically retreating back.

"Hog…Hoggle! Wait!" she yelled after him. When he didn't stop or slow down, she was forced to chase after him. "Where are you going?"

"Anywhere's but there!" he yelled, rounding the corner to run back out of the gates. "You's best not go that way either!"

She caught one last glimpse of his frightened face, before the gates to the Labyrinth were slammed unceremoniously in her face.

"Wait… what?"

* * *

The Goblin King sneered at the crystal before him.

Would that dwarf _ever_ follow instructions correctly? Somethings never changed and Hoggle had proven, yet again, that he was the most worthless coward in all of the Underground.

Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose; maybe he would bestow that title on his less than worthy subject if the little man continued to vex him. Jareth had lost track over the years of all the titles he had awarded that dwarf for being a thorn in his side.

Reluctantly standing from his throne, Jareth looked down at a goblin that was conveniently lounging at his feet. It was one of the few that had yet to get completely intoxicated.

"You," he commanded, "watch the babe."

The startled creature was given no time to comprehend its orders before a wailing Toby was literally dropped into its lap. "Uh…" it groaned unintelligently, wide eyes glued to the little human now wiggling in its arms.

"And…," the Goblin King said pointedly, immediately regaining the goblin's meager attention, "for Pete's sake, _don't_ let the child eat anything this time. You do recall what happens?"

At the harsh stare from its king, all the color drained from its grubby face and the goblin began frantically nodding his head.

"Good, see that the past does not repeat itself," Jareth said shortly, "or you might find yourself taking a very long dip in the bog." Without another glance at the panicking goblin, he waved his hand and was immediately gone.

In confusion, the goblin glanced at Toby before looking up in wide eyed alarm at the spot his king had just vacated. "But … who's Pete?"

* * *

Reappearing inside the gate, Jareth straightened his brown leather jacket and strode into the outer maze. Just as he suspected, the girl was sitting on the ground, staring dazedly into the distance. She looked ready to give up.

"Well, well, well," Jareth crooned as he prowled forward, "what have we here?"

Hastily, Sarah wiped at her tears before jerking her head to look up at the Goblin King. Jareth was momentarily struck by the desperation and misery in her eyes; it wasn't often that a display of such strong emotions moved him and Jareth fought against the urge to pity her. It would be so easy for him to send her home, to allow this distraught young woman to take her brother and leave; it would only take a wave of his hand…

But Jareth knew that would not be the way this day would end, either this runner would suffer demoralizing defeat at the hands of his Labyrinth or she would win back the babe she had wished away; those were the only options, it had been that way for years and years.

Besides, he couldn't return her now, she was far too entertaining to let go of that easily.

"What do you want, Goblin King," she quipped, "besides my brother?"

Casually stepping around her outstretched legs, Jareth stopped to lean his shoulder against the wall and crossed his arms. Looking down, he tilted his head to regard her red rimmed eyes and despondent attitude.

"I think, precious, that it might be a little early to be taking a break. There's still _such_ a long way to go."

Sarah scooted shyly away from the man, uncomfortable with his closeness and having to look up at him while he stood hovering above her. It wasn't hard to see through his hidden agenda; the Goblin King was looking to intimidate and fluster her by invading her personal space.

It was working.

When the girl broke eye contact to stare at her lap and, not so subtly, put even more distance between them, Jareth broke out into a shit eating grin. _'Still so innocent…'_ This was all too easy!

"Sarah …," he purred, leaning closer to her hunched form. He was inwardly delighted when she stiffened and flushed hotly at his provocative timbre. "Are you giving up?"

"What? No! Of course not!" she yelled, forgetting her embarrassment as she jumped to her feet. Whirling to face him, Sarah crossed her arms defiantly. "I'm just … unsure of where to go next."

"Oh, really?" Jareth laughed as he slowly looked over his shoulder at the passageway behind him. Turning back to catch her eyes, the Goblin King raised his brows before tipping his head to gaze past her. "I see your dilemma," he mocked, "so many choices…"

Sputtering, Sarah flushed even hotter as his grin grew wider. "Hey! That's not fair!" she whined as she stomped her foot.

As soon as she said it, Sarah regretted it. The playfulness surrounding him immediately vanished as Jareth pushed off the wall to brush intimidatingly around her. "You say that so often…" he sneered in disgust.

He hadn't said it quite so viciously yesterday and the change in today's response left Sarah standing frozen in place, staring after him and worrying over his mercurial moods. "I … I didn't mean it like that."

At her quiet admission he twirled to face her, his anger surprisingly gone. "Oh, you didn't? Then what did you mean, Sarah?" he smirked.

"I wanted you to stop laughing at me!" she argued. "There is nothing wrong with admitting I'm scared!"

"No, there isn't," Jareth agreed. His calm response had no underlying hint of sarcasm and shocked the remaining fight right out of Sarah. "But sitting around won't get you anywhere either."

Sarah was reluctant to admit he was right; allowing her uncertainty to keep her from choosing a path wouldn't get her any closer to her goal of rescuing Toby.

Gradually looking up at him through her lashes, the young woman bit her lip as she debated if it was even worthwhile to ask the Goblin King his opinion or not. Hoggle hadn't even stuck around to tell her why the worm was to be avoided, would Jareth be any different?

' _I just need to ask the right questions…'_

Steeling herself, Sarah straightened and tried her best to look him in the eyes. "Do you know why my friend's so afraid of the worm?"

Jareth's nose scrunched up as if he had just smelled something foul. "Friend?"

"Yes," she defended hotly, "my friend, Hoggle."

"Ah…" he looked into the distance as if now bored with their conversation. "That worthless dwarf's afraid of everything…"

Sarah could only nod in agreement; Hoggle was as much a coward today as he had been yesterday. "But why would he run from a worm? What could be so dangerous about that, Jareth? It just doesn't …"

Sarah choked back the rest of her words when the Goblin King turned to look at her, his eyes narrowed dangerously. When he began taking measured steps towards her, Sarah pushed herself back up against the wall as far as she could go. With the sound of his boots clicking ominously around her, she suddenly felt as if he was playing the predator to her prey.

As he stood over her, resting his forearm on the stones just about her head, Jareth's look of anger slowly turned into one of guarded playfulness; she didn't buy it for a second, all of her instincts were telling her to run.

"Sarah, Sarah, Sarah…" he said, shaking his head. "Wherever did you hear my name?"

"I … heard it yesterday," she answered honestly, unaware that more than just her hands were shaking.

"Ah, yes," he sighed, bending his arm to rest his closed fist against the side of his temple, "during your run."

The Goblin King's carefree manner and the condescending look he gave her made Sarah's blood boil. Despite her fear, she scowled up into his face. "I am not crazy! I swear, today's already happened!"

Jareth rigidly stood over her, searched her face for any sign of dishonesty. Slowly, his face relaxed and Sarah was confused by the look that replaced his previous suspicious one; Jareth almost seemed as if he had become the essence of dejection and weariness.

"It isn't wise to carelessly meddle with things you don't know the power of, precious," he said blandly before smiling mischievously. "But in the case of the worm, you'll just have to ask him yourself."

Feeling uneasy from their exchange, Sarah was desperate enough to allow the Goblin King to redirect the conversation without any questions asked. She would have to find out why speaking his name was so important later.

She swallowed thickly. "But why would Hoggle be afraid of a little worm? It doesn't make any sense!"

Jareth's responding laughter was quiet, but with him standing so close to her it filled the air around them. His eyes lit up with its bright, genuine tone and Sarah could only stare as the warmth of his humor brightened his entire face. His Goblin King persona wasn't quite so menacing when he laughed like that …

Sarah had just enough mental clarity to be torn between taking his laughter as a warning and wanting to joining in as well. _'So attractive…,_ ' her mind stalled.

"Kids these days …" the Goblin King tutted, "no appreciation for the old stories."

And just like that, he no longer seemed so attractive.

"Hey!" she sniped, offended to be stereotyped like that with her generation, however true it might have been. "I know my fairytales, thank you very much!"

"I'm not talking about that tripe," Jareth sniffed indignantly, stepping away from the wall. "If you want answers to your questions, I suggest you ask the worm while you still can…" he smiled smugly, before fading from sight. "Time's a-wasting."

* * *

Hoggle paced the length of the outer wall, grumbling to himself. "That girl's gotta be crazy," he griped, "nobody's in their right mind would be lookin' forward t' meet up with _anything_ inside o' that Labyrinth!"

Even so, his guilt was eating away at him for leaving her so soon. Kicking at a clump of dirt, he continued to stomp further away from the Northern Gates. "I's don't care what that rat wants me to do! I's ain't facin' anything dangerous fer that fool of a girl!"

"Is that so?"

"Argh!" Twirling around to face the way he had just come, Hoggle balked at the sight of Jareth lounging against the wall of the Labyrinth. With his legs crossed at the ankles and his arms resting over his chest, Jareth's laidback posture was calm and deceptively blasé. Hoggle stiffened at the sight; he could easily read the repressed anger written all over the Goblin King's face.

"Your Majesty!"

Pushing off the stone wall, the Goblin King stalked toward the trembling dwarf. "You disobeyed me, Hoggish."

"Hoggle," he corrected quietly.

"Tell me why I shouldn't dump you in the Bog of Eternal Stench right now," Jareth said, ignoring the dwarf's words and accentuating each of his own with a sharp jab of his riding crop.

Nervously backing up Hoggle rubbed his aching chest, his new jewelry rattling around his shaking wrist. "I … ugh … well …" he stuttered as he nervously scratched the back of his head.

"That's what I thought," Jareth said. As he raised a hand, prepared to send the dwarf away, Hoggle fell desperately to his knees.

"No! Your Majesty, please! Not the bog!" he begged. "I's was afraid! I's couldn't meet up with that worm! Do you knows what they _do_ to dwarves!" Hoggle's eyes widen further in fear at the thought. "Besides, she don't need no protection, but I's just a dwarf! I's can't help it that I's a coward!"

Jareth sneered in disgust at the little man that clung to his indecently tight, gray pants. "What do you mean she doesn't need protection?" he snapped, nudging Hoggle roughly away with his knee.

Hoggle's brow furrowed and began to bead with sweat when he remembered Sarah's interaction with the fairy. Surely she must be a sorceress! "That girl ain't a mere girl," he said cryptically as he struggled to stand back up.

"Tell me something I don't know, Hogtie," Jareth said under his breath, rolling his eyes.

"Well, I's bet you didn't know that she's strong enough to repel a fairy's curse," Hoggle said matter-of-factly.

" _What_ … did you say?"

At the Goblin King's icy tone, Hoggle shrunk back in on himself and lost all of his momentary bravado. "Well, you's see … I's saw her flick a fairy away with her bare hand and nothin's happened to her," he said in astonishment. "Nothin' at all!"

"How … unusual," Jareth drawled, stroking his chin in contemplation of this new development. A magical manifestation of this magnitude was most unexpected; it would seem that he now needed to modify his plans, there was even less time than he feared. The harshness of this realization weighed heavily on him and suddenly Jareth no longer cared to antagonize the dwarf any further.

"Yeah," Hoggle nodded in agreement, not noticing the Goblin King no longer cared about their conversation. As he babbled, the dwarf continued to nervously pet his new bracelet. "And she's knew things she shouldn't … like my name and what's I do … and which direction …"

"And _my_ name as well."

Hoggle gasped. Not from the shock that Sarah knew something that was so powerful, but from the way that Jareth said it, and the underlying threat laced through his words. "Augh! Your Majesty, I's swears I's had nothin' to do with it!"

"Indeed …"

The Goblin King's response sent another wave of unease trickling down Hoggle's spine, his punishment would be far worse than the bog if Jareth thought he had betrayed him in this way. "Ya gotta believes me! I's never …"

"Enough, Hogsbreath."

The dwarf's jaw clicked shut as Jareth scrutinized him. "I have forgiven your treacheries in the past, but do not misunderstand me, I will not forgive you again if you give away our secrets in exchange for … further trinkets," he reprimanded, glancing at the dwarf's wrist.

Unconsciously, Hoggle's hand drifted to the bracelet Sarah had given him. Seeing the dwarf's reaction to his latest treasure, Jareth rolled his eyes.

"What have you got this time?" he asked dispassionately.

Hoggle glanced at it before hiding his arm behind him. "Oh this, ol' thing? Its … ah … nothin' at all."

"Nothing?" Jareth snipped, his bad mood returning with the force of a rising storm. "Nothing? Nothing, tra la la?"

"Well, it aint _nothing_ nothing …"

"So you took that from her?"

"I's didn't steal it," Hoggle defended angrily. At the Goblin King's raised eyebrow, he huffed. "Honestly, I's earned it!"

"I fail to see how spending less than ten minutes with her, entitles you to any form of payment," Jareth argued.

"Hmph! I's kept my word! I's only said I'd go as far as I's was willing," the dwarf hedged, "and I weren't willing to go no further. Likes I said, I's ain't facin' anything dangerous fer that girlie!"

"Yes, yes," the Goblin King sneered, waving off his words, "we all know of your unlimited cowardice."

Hoggle frowned at the reminder, but didn't argue; in this instance, self-preservation was worth more than honor.

"Now listen carefully, Hogpen," Jareth commanded sternly, "I want you to follow Sarah, who, for some inexplicable reason, actually desires your company. You are to stay with her and report back to me if anything else abnormal occurs."

With a twist of his wrist and an inaudible grunt of effort, the Goblin King summoned a tiny crystal. Nonchalantly, Jareth flicked the miniscule bauble and watched as it floated intently towards the dwarf, veering only slightly on its journey to attach itself to Sarah's bracelet.

Hoggle looked wary of the tiny crystal, raising the bracelet to his eyes to get a closer look. "What is it?" he asked hesitantly.

"It will allow you to contact me if something … dire were to happen," the Goblin King warned. "Keep it on you at all times."

Hoggle nodded his head, he was unhappy to be stuck babysitting this odd girl on her run through the Labyrinth, but Jareth didn't need to know the extent of it.

"I suggest you run along back inside," Jareth teased.

"Why's that?" Hoggle asked, looking up at him from the corner of his eyes.

"Our Sarah should be meeting up with the worm shortly," he smiled predatorily, "and I know how much you'd hate to miss it."

* * *

For the last twenty minutes, Sarah had jogged down the outer corridor of the Labyrinth, ignoring any optical illusions in the walls as she searched for the little, blue worm. She hoped to find him soon, as her legs were beginning to tire.

Breathing heavily, she decided to rest for a few moments. Slowly easing into a squat against the wall, Sarah braced her hands on her knees as she hunched over.

She still wasn't even sure she wanted to go this way.

Between Hoggle's mindboggling dash for the exit and Jareth's allusion to forgotten lore, meeting up with the worm again seemed like an overall bad idea. If the Goblin King hadn't subtly challenged her to take this route, she would most likely have taken the seemingly safer one, or any number of openings she'd come across since starting in this direction.

' _I think it's time to let go of this mystery,'_ she sighed _, 'I still need to rescue Toby.'_

Breathing deeply, Sarah exhaled a cleansing breath. "Alright," she said, straightening up, "time to find an opening and move on."

"There's one just across there. It's right in front of ya," said a small voice.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she turned excitedly to talk to the worm. Bending over, Sarah held her hair out of the way as she searched for the tiny ledge she knew the worm would be resting on. "Hello?" she said hesitantly, continuing to look for her little friend.

" 'Ello!" it chirped back cheerfully. "Come inside and meet the missus."

"There you are," Sarah said kneeling down, happy to finally have found the small worm. "I've been looking for you!"

" 'Ave you, now? Well, I've been waitin' for you," it smiled. "Come inside, come inside."

Eyeing the tiny hole dubiously, Sarah frowned. "I don't think I can. Besides, I need to get to the center of the Labyrinth, I have to find my brother."

"Ah," he said knowingly, "Wished 'im away, did ya?

"Yes … and no," she said, feeling just as confused as the worm at her contradictory response.

"Then I guess you ain't got time for tea with the missus. She'll be so disappointed."

"Maybe next time," she consoled halfheartedly, hoping there truly wouldn't be another repeat of today.

Standing up, she brushed the dirt from her jeans and stepped toward the opening. "Before I go …" she turned to ask hesitantly, "do you know why anyone would be afraid of you?"

The worm looked genuinely surprised, before shaking his head. "Me? Naw, I'm just a worm."

"That's what I thought, but my friend ran away when I mentioned coming to see you."

"Did 'e, now?" he said thoughtfully, "Hmmm, well I ain't that _type_ of wyrm."

"Type of _worm_?"

"I said wyrm, not worm. Huuuuuuge difference!" he said with exaggeration. " 'Aven't you ever 'eard of a wyrm?"

Sarah couldn't hear the slight difference in the word's pronunciation, but decided to humor him anyway. "No, I can't say I have ..."

The little worm shook his head in disappointment. "Kids these days …"

"Oh, not you too," Sarah whined.

"I guess it can't be helped …" he continued stoically. "I blame the video games. Those things'll rot yer brain, they will."

Sarah could only nod in agreement, too stunned that a creature in the Underground knew what a video game was.

"Anyway," the blue worm continued, "a wyrm is an Old English word for a _huge_ , serpent-like dragon. Sometimes, they got wings an' legs, but not always."

Sarah's jaw dropped at his answer. "There are dragons in the Labyrinth!" she squeaked, her fear of going back inside the maze growing substantially larger by the second.

He nodded his head. "But you's shouldn't worry too much 'bout 'em," he said, his tuft of hair wiggling as he nodded again. "They rarely mess with runners."

The color drained from Sarah's face as she reached out a hand to lean on the wall for support. "Oh," she gulped, not reassured in the least, "that's … good to hear."

Stiffly nodding and turning about face, she dazedly strode through the hidden opening she had used yesterday, mind completely fixated on what other dangerous _"dangers untold"_ she had yet to discover.

"Poor thing," the worm said to himself as she shuffled away mindlessly, "a cuppa tea would 'ave done her nerves wonders." He shook his head again before turning to inch his way back inside. "A girl like that'll never make it to the castle."

* * *

Author's Note:

Hope you enjoyed this chapter – I had lots of fun writing it. I am sorry for the delay in posting, I've been editing this one for a while and couldn't seem to get it _just_ right. There were quite a few last minute changes, but I'm fairly happy now with how it turned out.

Thanks for reading!

nearly a maniac


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